“Toss this outside,” she says, handing me a hot cigarette butt. As if I was thinking about dropping it inside the car. I roll my eyes, but she doesn’t notice because she’s too busy fanning the car for evidence of her indiscretions. She turns the air on full, pulling a can of aerosol deodorant … Read More
My friends and I started wearing the hijab at various points in 3rd and 4th grade. One day, we just came to school wearing pieces of square cloths our mothers had to tie onto our heads for the first few years. My school’s uniform only permitted white, black and navy blue scarves. Do you know … Read More
I heard once that the reason why menstruating women were not allowed originally into Hindu temples was because menstruation was revered — as the feminine was considered divine already, women who were bleeding were believed to be especially attuned to the power of God and their prayers would therefore be heard first. If they entered the temple … Read More
This morning, Sikh actor-cum-designer Waris Ahluwalia was denied the right to board an AeroMexico flight heading for New York. Airline personnel detained him prior to boarding his flight from Mexico City because he refused to remove his turban (what Sikhs call a dastar) for a security check. Ahluwalia explained to New York Daily News that he would … Read More
“Muslim Scene” It begins by walking into a room filled with men. In a room of salah, I avoid eye contact with the ones that’ll see me as impure if I look their way. I head to the back of the room, where the women sit, waiting for prayer. So few of us that there … Read More
https://medium.com/media/067f5fa1a61023a5a80e8c234e3b0c5b/hrefhttps://medium.com/media/067f5fa1a61023a5a80e8c234e3b0c5b/href Entitled Harleen, this short film exposes the experiences of 22-year-old Harleen Kaur in relation to religion, nationality, and identity.
Last week, Muslims around the world celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr after a month of fasting. On the eve of Eid, many people hold moon-sighting or “Chaand Raat” festivals around the world. My family and I don’t normally celebrate Chaand Raat, but every other year or so we visit the Chaand Raat festival in Brooklyn’s Little Pakistan, my first … Read More
I got my certification for makeup artistry this year so it’s safe to say that I live and breathe makeup. I’m one of those people that will go FULL glam as much as I can, even if it’s to go somewhere like the dentist’s office. The act of putting makeup on is one of my … Read More
Each year for Ramadhan, my family and friends text and email a slew of graphics that center on Islamic architecture, moon and stars, and other traditional aspects of the month, such as dates or reading the Qur’an. These graphics are generally decorated with elegant fonts in both English and Arabic wishing a “Ramadhan Mubarak” … Read More
At 3.15 am I wake up to an alarm that makes the friend lying beside me grumble. For suhoor today, I eat a protein bar that tastes like cardboard, a glass of milk, a slice of peach pie, courtesy of one of my housemates for the summer, and three glasses of water. I go to bed … Read More
